a banished hero
by Tomoe Mami
Summary: You have heard the stories of the Chosen Children and how they saved the Digital World from evil. But have you heard the story of a hero and his mistake? Have you heard of the Digimon who died in one timeline to save the eight Chosen and Digimon? This is the story of his youth. His name is Wizarmon. Prequel to Subterfuge. Co-write with Apollomon.
1. I

The wind gently brushed against him, enveloping him in its warmth, as his unseeing eyes stared blankly in front of him. His fingers gently touched the locket that he wore around his neck. A picture of his brother, his parents and his friends rested within. A picture he regretted he would no longer be able to see. Not since that day, a rip in the sky opened up in the Digital World, allowing a frightening Digimon, Death-X-DORUgoramon, to enter and wreak havoc on the world.

Ken grimaced at the memory. The monster had no problem killing thousands of Digimon, completely eliminating their data from existence. It had been horrifying to watch the most powerful Digimon in the Digital World being taken down within seconds of the monster's attack. It had taken every Ultimate, Adult, Perfect, Child and Chosen Digimon to take down the monster. But, like everything, victory came at a price.

Ken sighed as sadness filled him. Many of the other Chosen died with their Digimon. Ken had lost Wormmon again, along with his Jogress partner. Ken never thought he could feel so alone. This time, he knew, Wormmon would not come back, his data had been deleted along with V-mon and Omegamon. The tears slowly began to fall again as he remembered the screams of his partner as he was deleted. It didn't help that he had lost his sight a bit before then. Resulting with Daisuke dying as he tried to protect him and he knew it was all his fault. He had been too vulnerable and weak to do anything.

Ken buried his face in his hands as he tried to remember what everyone looked like. Four years had come and gone and by then Ken had started to forget what everyone looked like. Ken could barely remember what Hikari looked like, the same with Daisuke, his parents, his brother, Tailmon and many of the Digimon that he spent so much time with.

Ken lifted up his head as he tried to push down his weakness. Crying wouldn't do anything. It wouldn't bring them back. It also wouldn't fix the barrier that had once linked the two worlds together. The battle with Death-X-DORUgoramon had caused so many problems, but the biggest one was the complete separation of the two worlds. The Digital World and Human World were completely severed from each other, preventing them from ever going home.

Ken wiped his tears with the back of his sleeves, wishing the pain would go away. He knew he shouldn't feel this way. He had bonded with another Digimon not long ago, a Fanbeemon. It happened purely by accident. He and Hikari had been running in a forest, trying to escape a Digimon that had wanted to use them for some evil purpose when they were saved. They have unknowingly been in the forest that hid the Royal Base. They had been lucky the Digimon were compassionate enough to give them shelter at the base. However, Ken had never expected to bond with another Digimon after the death of his partner.

Ken sighed as he felt the rays of the sun started to hit his face. Ken squinted his eyes, realizing the sun was starting to set. Once again, Ken wished he hadn't forgotten the sunglasses Hikari had given him. It was times like this that his eyes would just be too sensitive to the light.

"There you are!" Ken jumped slightly at the female voice before warm arms wrapped around him in a hug. "We were so worried! Why did you run off?"

Ken relaxed slightly, realizing it was Hikari. "I'm sorry, Hikari. I didn't mean to worry everyone. I just..." Ken felt Hikari pull back a bit, feeling her gaze on his face.

"He wanted to mourn," Fanbeemon said from his spot next to him. Fanbeemon had never left his side, not since the day the bond was formed and the Digimon realized he was blind.

Ken could practically feel Hikari's frown sadly at him. "I miss them too," she said softly. "I know it's been hard the last couple of years." Hikari gently brushed the strand of navy hair that fell between his eyes. "It still feels fresh… like they died yesterday…" Ken nodded slightly, feeling Hikari moving to cuddle next to him. Hikari rested her head on his shoulder, allowing Tailmon and Fanbeemon to settle themselves in his lap, sensing their partners' distress.

"Will it ever go away?" Ken turned his sightless gaze to Fanbeemon, as he unknowingly whispered the question that had been swirling in his head for months.

"No," it was Tailmon who spoke. "The pain will always be there. It still pains to think about them… just like Wizarmon's death." Ken felt Hikari stiffen slightly, her body language suggesting that she was sad. "It still haunts me… but we will get through it."

"Who's Wizarmon?" Ken found himself asking. There would be many times in where Hikari would talk about Tailmon having a friend that she liked at one point before dying at the hands of Vamdemon.

"An old friend," Hikari whispered sadly, causing his heart to ache in his chest.

"He died trying to protect me and Hikari," Tailmon said, her voice filled with emotion.

"What was he like?" Fanbeemon asked curiously. The girls were silent for a moment. Neither one sure how to explain the subject of their old friend to their lovers.

"A hero," Hikari started as she snuggled closer to her blind boyfriend.

"That he was." Tailmon nodded. "Wizarmon was a brave 'mon," Tailmon started, her voice sounding far away. "Even when we were working for Vamdemon, he never lost focus of himself. I envied him for that."

"Oh, Tailmon…" Tailmon's head moved, where it had been resting against his chest.

"No, it's true. I'm not going to deny it. I had been under the influence of Vamdemon for so long that I forgot who I was… and who I was looking for."

 _Just like me_ , Ken thought sadly.

"If he hadn't fallen from the sky that day and helped me, Vamdemon probably would have won that day."

This caused Ken's and Hikari's mouths to drop open in shock. "What?!"

Tailmon chucked softly. "I guess I never told you that he isn't from this dimension," she mumbled thoughtfully before her voice took on that faraway sound like she was about to tell a heartwarming story. "There are many worlds and dimensions as you guys may remember."

"Like the World of Darkness and the World of Dreams?" They asked.

"Yes, like those," Tailmon confirmed lightly. "One of these dimensions is called Witchelny. It is a Digital World in another dimension." Ken and Hikari remained silent, too absorbed in the story to even comment, but this didn't stop Fanbeemon from asking questions.

"Why did he leave?"

"He was banished and, as punishment, fell between the barriers and ended up here." Tailmon, seeing the shock and questions written all over their faces. She got herself comfortable before she retold the story of her friend and ex-crush. "Wizarmon had done many things in his life before coming here. He once had a Chosen himself before their bond shattered…" She grimaced slightly, knowing that she had come close to losing Hikari four years ago. "He was born in the Village of Beginnings and, like our world, his caretaker was Elecmon…"


	2. II

**A/N** : POV changes from this chapter onwards. Most chapters will be told from Wizarmon's POV as he grows up, but there will be the occasional POV from another Digimon.

* * *

Mokumon felt his Digitama rock once and start cracking. He was finally ready to be born, he couldn't have been happier.

Elecmon monitored the hatching.

It turned out the hatching went without any hitches. Mokumon had emerged from the Digitama and wanted to explore the world that he'd been told was Witchelny. Elecmon had to tell him no numerous times, as he could do that when he was older.

Of course, Mokumon wasn't satisfied with the answer. He wanted to explore his home world now. Exasperated, Elecmon gave the rascal a bit of a shock, which caught the Baby level's attention.

The puff of smoke turned to his caretaker and asked why he had done that. Elecmon couldn't believe his ears. _Mokumon really asked that?_ "I said no. No means no." Elecmon clarified, still unable to believe his charge was too curious for his own good. He'd get into trouble.

Mokumon inquired again and that was when Elecmon figured out the Witchelny council would have a lot of trouble on their hands as he evolved. Still, Elecmon couldn't _not_ respond to his charge.

"Like I said, you're not old enough to explore the rest of Witchelny. Wait a while, okay?"

"Why do I have to wait?" Mokumon didn't seem to understand why he had to be older to explore his Digital World.

Elecmon sighed, seeming to realize Mokumon's thirst for knowledge would irk the Witchelny council a great deal. So, he tried a different tactic. "You've just hatched. Do you want to be reconfigured so soon?"

That hit a nerve. It also got Elecmon some peace and quiet as Mokumon finally stopped asking questions. Mokumon now contented himself with hopping around the Village of Beginnings, looking for another Baby level to talk to.

It wasn't long until another Digitama hatched.

It was a YukimiBotamon. She squealed with excitement when she saw Mokumon and bounced over to see him. Mokumon started talking to his fellow Baby level.

"Hi, how are you? I hatched a little while ago."

She didn't answer, or rather couldn't. Mokumon was saddened by this, so he left.

Minutes later, he came back and attempted to talk with YukimiBotamon again. This time, however, he used different words that he figured she would understand. While she still couldn't talk, she had more of an idea of what he was saying.

Mokumon realized he was risking a lot with this. He had basically asked YukimiBotamon to come with him as he explored outside the Village of Beginnings. She had agreed to his request and made to follow him, but Elecmon's voice pulled them up short.

"Where do you two think you're going?" The caretaker questioned, raising an eyebrow at Mokumon.

Mokumon didn't answer straight away, which clued Elecmon in to that the scheme was his. He ushered YukimiBotamon away, apologizing to her for being led astray. Elecmon then turned back to Mokumon.

"You're in trouble now. You can help me around the Village for your mischief-making and learn to listen."

Mokumon was disappointed that he'd been caught and now had to pay the price, but he supposed the learning experience would help him devise a way to not get caught red-handed in the future. He didn't really want to help Elecmon every time the Village needed fixing or the baby Digimon needed feeding.

Though he was a Baby level himself, he didn't see himself as one, having more intelligence than any ordinary Baby Digimon. For now, he watched Elecmon carry out his chores and helped when prompted to the best of his abilities.

He could only do so much, however.

As the sky started to darken, Elecmon called it a day and Mokumon fell to the ground, relieved his punishment was over. "I hope you've learned your lesson, you troublemaker." The caretaker chided playfully, observing Mokumon's exhausted state.

"Yes, Elecmon." Mokumon answered, beginning to realize he could play with words.

* * *

After Mokumon closed his eyes, Elecmon looked at the sleeping Baby Digimon. He smiled. "He looks a lot less troublesome when he's sleeping peacefully like that."

Elecmon only wanted the best for Mokumon and the rest of the baby Digimon. And that included keeping them safe from the things outside.

There were many dangerous things out there.

Mokumon was too curious for his own good. One day, that could lead to his erasure. He didn't want that to happen.

But... there was something a bit different about Mokumon. He didn't know what it was. Maybe it was how he talked so early? But there was something else… Maybe he would figure it out soon enough. For now, though, he had to check on the others.

Eventually, he came back to the Digimon Mokumon tried to lead earlier, YukimiBotamon. She had just hatched, yet Mokumon has already tried to connect with her. He supposed it was only natural. Mokumon didn't have many close to his age and it was only natural that he would want a friend.

Elecmon wondered what she would grow up to be. Hopefully, she would want to stay here until the time was right. In the meantime, he would try to stop Mokumon from influencing other Digimon from leaving too early. They had no idea what was outside.

Elecmon knew the dangers.

In the wide world outside of the Village of Beginnings, were far more dangerous Digimon. Digimon who would delete any who were weaker than them without a moment's notice. Misguided Vaccine and Virus-attributes alike, though there were villainous Vaccines and just Virus Digimon.

But they were few and far between.

Elecmon had been reborn multiple times and thus knew society at its worst and its best. That was why he protected the young of the Digital World now, so the Digital World had future saviours at all.

He simply could not allow them to get killed this early in life.

* * *

The next morning, Mokumon woke and, instead of getting up straight away, he lay in his spot thinking about his new realization in manipulating words.

Mokumon had come to the conclusion that he did want to explore beyond the Village of Beginnings but, for now, he would stay within its confines. If only to keep Elecmon satisfied that he was safe.

Even so, he formulated a plan for the future in which he escaped Witchelny. Eventually, Mokumon got up and went over to Elecmon to ask if he needed help with the other Baby levels.

Elecmon nodded. "I would like that. Thanks, Mokumon." The rabbit-like Digimon had noticed a marked change in Mokumon's behaviour seemingly overnight. He was a little suspicious, but wouldn't pry much.

"Did you get a good rest?" Mokumon heard Elecmon ask him.

The puff of smoke didn't understand the sudden interest his caretaker had in him and actually thought it was odd Elecmon was acting concerned for him.

"I had a good sleep." Mokumon answered, wanting to know why Elecmon asked. So he inquired. "Why do you want to know?"

It seemed as if Elecmon had the response ready, as if he had been waiting for Mokumon's curiosity to peak again. "In case I had to stop you from trying to wander off once more. It appears that you've abandoned it."

Mokumon didn't say anything, but inside he felt hurt. Hurt that Elecmon didn't trust him from wandering off. Had his caretaker worked out his plan? He couldn't have; Mokumon had faced away from Elecmon while devising his plan for the future.

However, Mokumon took this as a chance to rebuild. Rebuild Elecmon's trust in him and not be as forward with his curiosity. It would be a bit of a struggle, but Mokumon was sure he could do it. Mokumon would also be more engaging with the other Baby Digimon in order to make more friends. Better than a loner...


	3. III

_How did I get myself into this mess again?_ Mokumon glared at the bars that surrounded him. Elecmon had called it the timeout box, but Mokumon was sure it was a prison. It was a place for bad children! A place for bad babies to rot away, agonizing over what he or she had or hadn't done, while the others played and mocked him. Mokumon shifted on the soft blanket to get more comfortable. He had only been in there for five minutes and he already craved his freedom.

Of course, he could always open the door! The latch seemed fairly simple. It was as simple as moving the silver rod to the right, freeing it from the metal holding the bar door in place. Elecmon had opened it with ease and he was sure he could do it too. He had thumbs, unlike the other babies, after all.

Mokumon pondered that thought for a moment, but then thought better of it. That would just ruin the little bit of trust Elecmon had in him. He didn't want that! Mokumon sighed as he gazed at a flower that was gently moving in motion with the breeze. It had taken so long to regain a fraction of Elecmon's trust. It had not been easy. Elecmon had proven to be a dedicated caretaker. He took care of each and every one of them and only wanted what was best for them. Yet it made him wonder what Elecmon was trying to protect them from.

During those three weeks of helping and studying, he only learned that Elecmon didn't like talking about himself. It was always caring for his little ones. But within those three weeks, Mokumon had learned other things too. One of them was that Elecmon refused to allow them to leave until they had reached their Child form. Mokumon was a bit disappointed at that, but he didn't let the other know. No need to have him more suspicious than he already was.

And then there were the new babies.

Mokumon sulked as he tried to wrap his mind around what had occurred within the past three weeks. Within that time at least five others had been born. Mokumon, being the curious baby that he was, went to greet them right away and attempt to befriend them. The two Botamon, Poyomon and Jyarimon couldn't speak and just stared and cooed at him half of the time. But he was sure they were good friends. However, the Kiimon was a different story.

Mokumon frowned as he thought about the other. Kiimon was… strange. From what Elecmon said in passing one day, there had never been a Kiimon with red eyes before, on top of not seeing that kind of Digimon in years. That probably should have alerted him to be cautious around the other, but it didn't. Mokumon had just been excited to befriend the other when he learned Kiimon could speak like him. He thought he finally found someone he could talk to, but he was wrong. Kiimon only seemed to have one interest and that was to get him into trouble with Elecmon and to make his life miserable.

Mokumon ignored the anger that filled him. What had he done to make Kiimon hate him so much? All he did was try to befriend it, but Kiimon seemed to make it his mission to make Elecmon think he was bad and trying to bully the other babies.

 _This is all Kiimon's fault!_ He knew he wouldn't be in this mess if it hadn't been for Kiimon. When Elecmon's back was turned or doing something else, Kiimon would steal another baby's bottle, toy, or blanket, or make them cry and then pin the blame on him. Elecmon was none the wiser to believe it was him. Kiimon would plant the evidence near his own bed or person. It was so discouraging knowing that the other babies couldn't tell their caretaker what was really going on.

"Why the long face?" Mokumon growled, his eyes narrowing in anger, as he heard the smug… and was that satisfaction in his voice? Mokumon turned to the right to see Kiimon several inches from his prison. Kiimon gazed at him, his red orbs twinkling with glee. This just caused Mokumon to lose whatever patience he had, not that he had any to begin with.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?"

Kiimon chucked. "Aww, is the little baby mad that no one believes him?" There was something in his voice that made Mokumon frown. It sounded as if Kiimon wasn't a baby himself. But it wasn't even possible, unless…

Mokumon's eyes widened as he gazed at the other. He had overheard Elecmon talking to a member of the Witchelny council, Mistymon. The two had been talking in hushed voices (to avoid being overheard) about a vicious Vaccine being deleted after deleting two members of the Witchelny Council. Elecmon had been uneasy when he was told that this villain could possibly be reborn within this peaceful village with his memories and goals intact.

Mokumon hadn't been sure what they were talking about at the time, but now he had a sinking feeling that this evil Digimon was Kiimon. "You're him." Mokumon was low, shock still filling his being.

Kiimon laughed, the evil intent and wickedness more visible in his voice and expression now. "Why, you are clever. My master was wise to fear you."

His mouth lay agape. Nothing came out, not even a smart comeback to counteract the ridiculousness of what he was hearing. _Fear me?_ But he couldn't say a word. _Why would anyone fear me?_ He was stuck. Stuck between the state of complete shock, confusion and fear.

Mokumon wanted to demand to Kiimon to explain himself. Who was this master? Why was his master afraid of him? What had he done to make the other hate him so much? It had to be a misunderstanding. He hadn't even left the village yet.

But none of that came out; instead, all that came out was: "Why?"

Kiimon smiled a toothy grin at him, which made the puff of smoke feel very uneasy. "The prophecy."

The puff of smoke frowned, confused. _Prophecy?_

"But you don't remember it, do it?" He asked, not stopping for Mokumon to respond. Kiimon laughed as he glared at him. "You have been a thorn in my master's side since the day you and Sorcerimon were born." Mokumon blinked. _He's crazy_. "But not anymore…"

Mokumon stiffened as Kiimon crept closer. "Once I'm done with you, then Sorcerimon will meet his end."

"Yuki! Yuki!" Kiimon jumped back as Yukimi Botamon came bouncing towards them. But there was something odd about her. She was not only mad but also glowing.


	4. IV

As she evolved, her voice was heard for the first time. "I know exactly who you are, you're _him!_ Why did they let you come back?!" In YukimiBotamon's place now stood Plotmon and she was angry. Angry that the Witchelny Council hadn't stopped this villain from doing as he pleased.

Plotmon didn't know what his forms were after Impmon, but the Adult, at least, had to be a Witchelny native, otherwise he wouldn't be allowed to live here. Why had he killed them in the first place?! They hadn't done anything to him.

"Hehe… So the sorcerer remembered me." Kiimon taunted, well aware Elecmon was not present at the moment. " _What are you going to do about it?_ "

Plotmon bristled, realizing he was taking advantage of the lack of their guardian to cause a scene. She couldn't do anything, not currently and not while Mokumon was still a Baby Digimon. "I'll make you pay." The Child level swore with her life.

It was so infuriating to look at Kiimon with that smug expression. Plotmon wanted to wipe it off his face and then some. For now, she would wait and help Elecmon with the other Baby levels as his assistant.

In the mean time, she would talk to Mokumon. She faced the puff of smoke. "I apologize for not being able to talk before; I knew what I wanted to say, but couldn't express myself. I also didn't remember our pasts until just before."

"It's okay." Mokumon smiled. _You remembered_.

There was a feeling Plotmon couldn't shake, though. Why _had_ they been killed? Had they opposed their foe on something, so he lashed out and struck them down? Had they been on a mission of some kind? It annoyed her that she couldn't remember the exact details of what happened.

Plotmon shook her head, not content with the partial memories she had recovered. She glanced around to see if Elecmon was back yet, only to discover he still wasn't present. The Child level sighed, deciding to go and search for him herself. "I'll be back soon, okay?" She told Mokumon.

"Sure, I'll just sit here." Mokumon answered, still smiling. He was more than pleased YukimiBotamon had evolved. Did that mean he would evolve soon too? He certainly hoped that was the case, as he'd been the first to hatch, after all.

Mokumon wasn't sure what he would evolve into yet.

But he hoped it would be an awesome form; he was like any baby, really. Excitable about new things. The only difference between Baby Digimon and human babies was that Digimon matured faster. Digimon also died, but had the chance to be reborn. Humans didn't have that luxury, he'd heard.

Mokumon wasn't sure why Elecmon was absent from his duties when Kiimon had been making a scene earlier. The little puff of smoke thought it was the caretaker's job to prevent scenes like that; wasn't that why he had scolded Mokumon when he'd wanted to leave the Village of Beginnings?

He wasn't sure what that was about, nor why Elecmon hadn't returned to the Village from whatever he was doing. Mokumon trusted Plotmon to succeed in her search, however, so for now he waited. The little puff of smoke glanced around at his surroundings, knowing them by heart by now.

"So are you gonna answer my question?" Kiimon challenged Mokumon.

Mokumon merely looked at the little imp to remind him he hadn't forgotten he was there. "I should because why?" He counter-challenged. Kiimon was annoying him to no end. To be fair, the sooner he evolved, the happier he'd be.

* * *

Meanwhile, Plotmon had found Elecmon and introduced herself as the former YukimiBotamon. "Please Elecmon, you need to come back with me to the Village. Kiimon is creating a ruckus and Mokumon is worried you won't come back."

Elecmon blinked at her and paused from his fishing. "He's worried about me?"

"Yes!" She exclaimed, smiling, though she couldn't understand why a Baby Digimon wouldn't be worried about their missing caretaker. Plotmon studied Elecmon, unsure of what was going on with him. "Elecmon, are you okay?"

He sighed and gathered the fish in his net. "I'm sorry I blamed Mokumon for what Kiimon was doing. But to be fair, it was Mokumon's fault in the beginning. Don't you remember he tried to lead you out of the Village?"

Plotmon chuckled. "I remember that well, no worries there. But you can't blame Mokumon now for what Kiimon's doing. And you won't, will you?"

"I won't." Elecmon confirmed, shaking his head no. He hoisted the net over his shoulder and followed Plotmon back, as the two continued talking. "Do you… remember anything from before?"

Plotmon nodded, knowing what her caretaker was talking about. "I'm not sure why we were killed, though. There are very few Vaccine-attributes in Impmon's evolutionary lines… And then there's the matter of what his motivations were."

Elecmon scoffed. "Does it matter?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"You tell me. Why would a 'Vaccine' kill members of the Witchelny Council? For what reason would a Vaccine want to off their comrades? I do wonder..."

Elecmon sighed, musing on the points Plotmon brought up. "I suppose you're right. But we don't have any real proof unless the Council release a statement or something. And if I know them as well as I do, they're not going to do that willingly at all. You might be..."

* * *

In the headquarters of the Witchelny Council, a Mistymon stood before his superiors. "My lords, it appears they have been reconfigured. They're currently at the Village of Beginngs, though I can not ascertain why the Plotmon hasn't left yet. She has evolved far enough to be able to set out on her own."

"Continue investigating. And please deal with the erratic Vaccine we disposed of as well. He reformed too and is presently a Kiimon, but looks ready to evolve soon himself."

"Yes, my lords." Mistymon bowed with a flourish and strode out after turning away from the Witchelny Council.

One of the Council members turned to his fellow Digimon. "Should we keep an eye on the Mokumon additionally? He will evolve any day now and will want to start that ridiculous quest of his again."

"Oh, let him be." The other Digimon laughed. "He'll grow out of it surely."

* * *

By this time, Elecmon and Plotmon had make it back to the Village. Plotmon noticed it first and made a noise to get Elecmon's attention since their caretaker was engrossed in his conversation with her.

The red and purple Digimon turned to see what was going on and his jaw dropped. Mokumon was evolving… And they had almost missed it. Jeez, how careless could they be? Elecmon put his rant aside for later, as he and Plotmon watched from where they were while the evolution occurred.

The light finally died down and a new Digimon stood in Mokumon's place: Candmon.

Candmon looked over himself and smiled. He had finally evolved, though it was out of order, in his opinion. But that mattered not now. He had become that little bit stronger and could help Elecmon protect the Village. The thought of going on his quest had _never_ left his mind.


	5. V

He was not as powerful as he would have liked. There were many Digimon that followed him, that thought his way of thinking, that firmly believed that allowing the Digimon of the Digital World free will and free speech would result in nothing but trouble, nothing but chaos and disobedience. And with disobedience, there was doubt and with doubt, war.

The Dark Knight glared over the spiky rock terrain and dead trees that surrounded the land. At one point, long ago, this had been a beautiful land. The ground had been smooth and fertile. The trees had been tall, healthy, and full of Meat Apples and other fruits. The river had once been flowing with rich water and fish that one could not find anywhere else in the Digital World.

It had been a wonderful time, he remembered. He had ruled the lands with an iron fist. No Digimon disrespected him. No Digimon talked back when he demanded more then half of what they grew as payment. No Digimon had even thought it was possible to be rebel against him. They never even thought about fighting back. They feared him and all the things he could do to them if they didn't obey.

 _It's all your fault, brother_. The Dukemon Empire would have still been powerful and strong if it hadn't been for his weak, goody-goody twin brother. Chaos Dukemon's right hand transformed into his demonic lance and in a fit of rage he shot a powerful beam at one of the spiky rock formations. "You destroyed everything!" Chaos Dukemon loathed his twin brother. Medieval Dukemon, ever since they hatched out of their shared Digitama, had always been the weak one.

They had ruled the Dukemon Empire together, striking fear into the hearts of the Digimon. They had the Digimon bowing at their feet and constantly worshipping them without protest! But his brother ruined that. He had cared too much about the citizens, believing that they were being unfair and too hard. His twin brother had always been too soft. Chaos Dukemon remembered being annoyed with his brother when he talked about treating the Digimon right, that they shouldn't execute them for refusing to pay their taxes or when they attempted to complain about their poor living conditions, poor treatment, or the lack of food for themselves after they took taxes from them.

His brother had wanted to take the weak Digimon's best interest to heart, instead of just forcing them to follow their rule. At one time, he had tried to convince him that they should allow the citizens to think for themselves, to aid them with their homes, and to provide food and shelter. He had wanted them to help them by not taxing them, to allow them to live peacefully. It had been so absurd. Digimon that could not fend for themselves, Digimon that could not listen to authority, did not deserve to live.

Medieval Dukemon was naive and foolish. And it was that foolishness that caused their empire to fall.

Chaos Dukemon growled as he thought about the betrayal. His brother had done many things behind his back. He had helped the Digimon by providing food and shelter for free. He had inspired them to hope and to dream, to not be afraid. The DIgimon had not known what the meaning of fighting back, courage or not being afraid was. Medieval Dukemon had planted doubts and hope into their heads. It was because of him the civil war started. It was because of him that the empire fell and that he lost his subjects, lost his worshippers and lost the fear he had instilled into them. But worst of, he had filled their heads of a better world where they ruled under a council where they had a say. A council where things were debated and discussed before being implemented.

Chaos Dukemon turned away from the destroyed terrain to gaze at the graveyard that he called home. The trees were now dead, no fruit grew on them. The river and lands were dried up and dead. And the once beautiful castle that he had built centuries ago was now old and abandoned.

The old castle had once stood at more then a thousand feet tall, towering over the rocky terrains that separated the forest from the river. The castle had once had beautiful carvings carved into the stoned walls and statues decorated on the rooftops. But not anymore. The stone was now cracked, falling apart from the damaged it had sustained during the pitiful war and from the weather over time. It was dead, abandoned, just like everything else that was once part of Ancient Witchelny.

Chaos Dukemon flew above the dead trees as he made his way toward the castle. After he was overthrown and killed by his brother's rebellion, his brother had created a strong magical barrier, keeping all that was unwanted out. Everything outside the barrier looked dead and dried up. It was because all of the natural resources were inside. It was truly ashamed that abandoned this place in favour of building a new life for the Digimon on the other side of the Digital World, away from the past. His brother had built the Village of Beginnings, the Witchelny Council, and other parts of the Digital World within the magical barrier, which they now called the new Witchelny.

But if they thought they were safe within that barrier, they were sadly mistaken.

The Dark Knight Digimon smiled as he entered the castle, making his way towards the basement where his new ally took residence in.

"It seems the plan is working wonderfully, Ancient Wisemon," Chaos Dukemon told his ally as he entered the chamber. "The stupid Witchelny Council were so distracted by our little friend's performance that they are not aware of the real threat."

Chaos Dukemon had met the Ancient Mutant Digimon several decades ago. The other came from a different Digital World, a dead one. Ancient Wisemon's Digital World had been slaughtered by war because no one had the spine to rule with an iron fist. He had once been the ruler of that Digital World before he was overthrown and imprisoned in a magical mirror that somehow ended up buried within this very castle.

Chaos Dukemon had only seen his brother once since his rebirth. His stupid brother thought he could convince him to change his ways, that they could live peacefully with controlling the other Digimon. But he had refused, vowing to destroy him for ruining everything they had achieved. That had been the last time he had seen his brother. He hadn't been able to travel through the other side of the barrier; he lived in exile.

Chaos Dukemon had grown up in this abandoned castle, slowly making allies with the other Digimon that had been exiled from New Witchenly. But what really helped them was Ancient Wisemon. He had been a Black Megalo Growmon when he had found the magical mirror. When he freed the other from his prison, Ancient Wisemon was able to restore to his Ultimate form. With the old sage's help many of the lower level Digimon were able to pass through the barrier undetected, by having their data altered.

"That may be, but Wizarmon and Sorcerimon are still a problem," Ancient Wisemon said as he gazed into his crystal ball. He had been watching the two members of the Witchelny Council for several weeks now. "It seems they are starting to remember."

The old sage had warned him that Wizarmon and Sorcerimon held the key to save this world from him. They had the ability to destroy his plans. If he wanted to destroy his brother and everything he held so dear, the two mages had to be destroyed _permanently_.


	6. VI

Chaos Dukemon frowned as he too glanced at the ball. It seemed that Kiimon had evolved to Impmon not long ago, if the laugh and taunts was anything to go by. He watched as Impmon attacked the cage Mokumon was currently in. Impmon had done very well in getting Elecmon to distrust the Baby Digimon. It just made deleting the threat all the more possible with the pathetic caretaker not around. However, he had not expected Mokumon to evolve.

"Well, things just got interesting."

* * *

Impmon and Candmon stood opposite each other. Candmon wasn't going to let Impmon get away again.

"Night of Blizzard!" Impmon yelled, as he fired shards of dark ice at Candmon. The dark ice struck home, pelting Candmon roughly, but he wasn't going to give up yet.

Candmon materialized a cutlass out of nowhere and lunged at Impmon. "Candle Night!" The sword dug into Impmon's body, resulting in a small amount of data leaking out.

"Dark Song!" Impmon shouted, letting out a very loud scream of darkness in order to try and paralyze Candmon.

Candmon dodged it narrowly and tried to appeal to the other Child level's honour. Though if he actually had any, Candmon would be surprised. "At least tell me why you want to kill me so much?" He pleaded with the Virus-attribute. Candmon didn't understand much of what was going on. Why did Impmon want to kill him? Who was this master he had mentioned?

"Night of Fire!" The Virus-attribute yelled once more as he threw balls of dark purple fire directly at Candmon in an attempt to delete him.

 _Okay, so you don't want to talk_. Candmon realized, now knowing he would have to beat Impmon up to get the answers he wanted. "Karma Flamer!" The Data-attribute declared, spinning in a circle to deflect Impmon's attack. He closed his eyes for a second, thinking of the agony he was about to cause the other Digimon but, when he had reopened them, his conviction was as strong as steel. "Melt Wax!" He hurled hot, melted wax from his body at Impmon, who screamed in pain.

Impmon dropped and rolled, still screaming in pain from the hot wax.

"I didn't want to hurt you, but you left me no choice!" Candmon spoke. He begged Impmon again, after the sly imp managed to get back onto his feet. "Tell me what's going on?!" Candmon didn't like being left in the dark when it came to knowledge. He wanted to know everything, but at what cost would it be to him?

"I don't know," Impmon muttered to Candmon, grimacing in pain. "I'm only following orders left by more powerful Digimon." He didn't know any more than that, so he couldn't really help the other Digimon at all.

Candmon eyed Impmon and seemed to realize he genuinely didn't know what was going on. He sighed. "Very well."

"Did you insult me?" Impmon growled at Candmon, hurling a fireball.

Candmon whirled to evade as Impmon threw the fireball at him. _What the...? Where had that come from?_ "All I said was "very well". You tell me how that was an insult!" He couldn't believe Impmon. Accusing him of insulting him when he never said such a thing. This was unbelievable.

"Night of Blizzard!" Impmon yelled, as he launched shards of dark ice at Candmon.

This time, Candmon was struck by the dark technique and skidded back a little. He still wasn't going to give up, though. "Candle Ring!" Rings of light burst from his body and shot in Impmon's direction.

"Pillar of Fire!" Impmon declared, defending himself with a wall of fire.

Candmon followed up with "Candle Night!" as he materialized the sword again and drove it into Impmon's body. If Impmon couldn't tell him anything about what was going on, why he was being targeted or what the prophecy was about, then that left one other option.

"Kuuchuu Night of Fire!" Impmon yelled, attacking Candmon with an airborne fireball of dark energy at point blank range.

Candmon sighed again, almost in sadness, before driving the sword in deeper. Taking the full force of the attack, he waited for the tell-tale crack of the DigiCore. There it was, so he kept pushing until Impmon had a look of fear on his face. Seconds later, the Core shattered and Impmon literally vanished.

No data.

No Digitama.

Nothing.

"Candmon?!" Plotmon rushed over to her friend and checked to see if he was alright. "That was some battle. Are you badly hurt?"

Candmon shook his head. "I'm not too hurt. I managed to dodge most of his attacks, thankfully." He was very fortunate Impmon hadn't been able to delete him, but still felt a little sad he had lost a fellow Digimon, even if Impmon had been misguided.

"Please forgive me, Candmon." It was Elecmon. He slowly walked forward and had his head lowered.

Candmon hesitated, as he gazed upon his caretaker. "Elecmon… You don't have to apologize. You genuinely thought I was in the wrong. But you saw the truth in the end. That isn't your fault, it's just a mistake."

Elecmon's eyes watered with tears, relieved that Candmon had forgiven him. He wasn't sure what to say in response, so he thought for a moment. "Would you both like to help me take care of the Village? It's a meagre request considering what I did, but it's my heartfelt thanks."

"Sure, we'd love to do that." Plotmon exclaimed, looking at Candmon for confirmation. He nodded, happy that he had been reunited with his caretaker.

Candmon patted Elecmon's shoulder with one hand. "We would do anything for you, Elecmon. Anything to help." The little candle-based Digimon smiled; things were normal again.

Or as normal as they could be, considering there were still two unknown Digimon out there who were stronger than any of them at the present moment. Way stronger. Candmon would have to keep evolving and gain years of experience, decades even, before he could hope to match up against them.

It wasn't going to be easy at all. But all Candmon wanted to do right now was learn more. Way more. More about Witchelny, more about the Digital World in general. And one of the only ways to learn, he figured, was under Elecmon, since the caretaker was elderly.

But he would be in for a surprise tomorrow as the Overseer of Witchelny was coming to check on the Village of Beginnings. He didn't know what the visit was for, but he knew that he would have to be on his best behaviour. Or he would get into trouble.


	7. VII

_This was a lot easier than I thought._ He gazed at the pitiful Digimon that he was meant to replace. The Digimon was a Mikemon, one of the newest guards of Witchelny. Choas Dukemon had been right when he said that it would be easy to replace him. The young guard was weak and hadn't processed his lies and deception fast enough before it was too late.

He chuckled darkly. It hadn't been that hard to get the stupid guard to leave his post. He had been attacked by a crazy Unimon. It had attacked him while he was at the waterhole, minding his own business. He had needed help _so_ desperately. The very young, very stupid, very naive guard had been _so_ helpful in getting him within the boarders of the secondary barrier that surround the large city of Witchelny. He remembered shivering in pain as he passed through. The barrier had sensed he had been a Virus deep inside, that he was a threat, but it was too late. They all were too late for what was to come.

"W-wh-why?" He gazed at the other, an exact mirror of himself. He smiled at his handiwork. No one had been around when he attacked. He had cut the other's tail and ears, tore off his orange, white, and black fur, stripped him of his armor, broke his bones with powerful kicks and punches, and cut long deep gashes with his claws into his flesh. Blood slowly flowed out of his body before the droplets turned into particles of data.

The calico cat smiled slyly, wickedly, as he finished placing on the dreadful guard uniform that he had striped the ex-guard of, his _savio_ _u_ _r_. The metal chest plates of the uniform clung sharply to his sides and the helmet was a bit too tight and pinched his eats a bit, but it would have to do for now.

 _Chaos_ _Dukemon-sama would be very pleased_.

"You and your leaders have lived in safety for too long, Sir Mikemon. It is time for you to learn what it is like to be outcast, hated and alone. To suffer, while others laugh at you. To suffer, while others mock you, belittle you and try to kill you just because of who you are." The young Digimon shivered at his dark, wicked hiss. They would pay. They would all pay! In the name of Chaos Dukemon. With a smile that would made babies tremble and Adults quake in fear, he lifted up the ex-guards sword and struck right in the centre of his chest. The sound of a DigiCore cracking was heard.

The ex-guarded opened his mouth to scream, to yell for help, but none came out. The last thing the cat saw was the ex-guard's trembling lips and tearful eyes as he disintegrated into data. He watched with a tilt of his head in curiosity as the data didn't disappear, collapsing on itself as he had expected, as Choas Dukemon had told him what would happen when the other died. Instead, the data floated innocently into the winds, away from the huge city and somewhere far, far away.

 _The Village of Beginnings…_ It was very likely that the other calico cat would end up there. Many of the Digimon they had killed over the months ended up there. He frowned a bit. _Would he remember?_ Again, very unlikely. He made sure the other had been too damaged for his memories to stay intact. And if they did…well, it would be too late anyway. Not that it mattered. No one would be able to enter the village anyway. Like the town, the Village of Beginnings had an even stronger barrier protecting it. Only those pure of heart, Elecmon, and the members of Witchelny could enter the tough barriers Medieval Dukemon put in place.

"Sir Mikemon! Sir Mikemon!" Mikemon smiled to himself as the guard turned the corner and ran towards him. "Why weren't you are your post?" It was Gryzmon, one of the senior guards _he_ was supposed to be patrolling with.

Mikemon schooled his feature to mirror the other calico cat's sheepish demeanour. "I am truly sorry, Sir Gryzmon. I had not meant to disobey your orders." He had bowed accordingly, the same way he had seen the other do so many times before whenever he was apologizing for his mistakes; all that spying and waiting was finally paying off. "But I heard a scream while you went to talk to the Captain."

"A scream?" Gryzmon looked alarmed as his body stiffened, his eyes gazing at the forest outside the barrier. He stared into the darkness, intently. "I didn't hear anything."

"It was far away. I was lucky to hear it." Gryzmon nodded, his eyes still lingering into the darkness, his claws digging into the dirt. The other calico cat had been a clumsy fool and far too trusting, not that fit to be a guard from what he could tell. But the other had the best hearing in Witchelny, a feline's greatest asset.

"Who did the scream belong too, Sir Mikemon? Was it from one of the Wild Ones?" Yes, the _Wild Ones_. Anyone who lived outside Witchelny's borders would be considered that, wouldn't they? Wild Ones. Untamable beasts. Intellectual beings that worshipped chaos and darkness. Evil. Those were all things that labelled him and the others, all because of the conflict between the two brothers. Mikemon had been born outside the borders, learning that his partners had been banished because the had favoured Chaos Dukemon's leadership over his brother's.

He grimaced accordingly, even though he wanted to gore the Beast Digimon's eyes out. _Just stick to the plan, Mikemon. Just stick to the plan. They will all perish in the end._ "Just a bunch of kids play jokes on each other after curfew," he lied, flawlessly.

"Stupid kids. Don't they know how dangerous it is to be out this late at night? We can't be too careful, especially after what happened to Lord Wizarmon and Lady Socerimon." Ah, yes, the troublesome mages. They weren't exactly the most powerful members of the Witchelny Council, but they had been the most dangerous towards Chaos Dukemon's plans. The two mages had been seeking an ancient magic tablet that could ultimately strengthen the barriers, fixing the flaws within it. Chaos Dukemon had feared that if found it could counteract the strange potion that altered their data. Wizarmon and Socerimon had been very close to finding it. _How careless of Siesamon for getting himself killed,_ he thought dryly. Although, he guessed it worked out in his favour. The guards were spread out so thin because of it. "Anyway, where'd they go?"

He frowned, feigning guilt. "I think I scared them off."

Gryzmon chuckled softly, almost fatherly. "Don't worry about that too much. You did good."

"T-thank you."

"Come, let's continue patrolling." Mikemon silently seethed in disgust at the fatherly tone in his voice. "We have a long night ahead of us."

"Of course," he said, following the other guard, listening in boredom as he talked about his tasks for the night. Despite his annoyance and want to destroy the other, he smiled. _All according to pla_ _n_.


End file.
